RUMOUR - Robert Beric

[Winston Smith]

just scored in the Champions League against Ajax. i can only imagine celebrations were muted with his impending move to English football's lower leagues on the horizon.

[CountryRoyal]

3 in 3 this season.

[loyalroyal4life]

just scored in the Champions League against Ajax. i can only imagine celebrations were muted with his impending move to English football's lower leagues on the horizon.

[tee peg]

Looks like he is off to France, St Etienne.

[Pepe the Horseman]

It's good that we've gone from chasing two £1m+ strikers, to not buying any.

[Esteban]

Still three weeks of the window to go...

[Royal Ginger]

Seems to me that he was always a bit out of our reach. Hammond and co just spotted him first.

[SCIAG]

When was out last big money signing,ignoring wages?? I don't think we have ever had one have we?

Caskey, Asaba, Murty, Forster, Convey, Lita, Seol, Fae, Halford, Bikey, Matejovsky, Mills, Mariappa, Gunter, Blackman, Williams, Sa...

And doesn't that just read as an endless list of unqualified successes.

Big money signings for us, yeah.

Big money signings by Premier League or even Championship standards, no.

Several of those were big money signings by the Championship standards of the time. In fact, I don't think any of them weren't, I think Sa is still one of the ten or so biggest signings of the summer.

[Nameless]

Seems to me that he was always a bit out of our reach. Hammond and co just spotted him first.

And possibly our interest was then used to spark other clubs taking a look.
It happens, maybe we should have gone in higher and forced the deal, but then if we'd offers 5 million straight off they may have thought they'd see if anyone offered 6....

[GH Royal]

Glad we're not splashing the cash on this guy, might of been worth a couple mill but £5mill is just ridiculous considering we're just getting back on track financially and Beric has never played in the English leagues.

Better invested elsewhere, still need a striker though.

[Nameless]

Agree , it's the one box left unticked. I'm pretty happy with what we've done this summer subject to completing the 2 outstanding deals and the players we have signed going on to prove themselves !!
It's likely IMHO that we're working on it, plenty if the deals we've done have happened quickly or under the radar and thus could still be in progress.

[GH Royal]

Agreed. Think the business that has been done this summer has been very efficient, low-key and under the radar which is always best, strengthened areas that were weak and freshened up the squad. It could be the best transfer window we've had in years, with Hurtado and Fernandes seemingly all but confirmed on the OS, all we need is a striker (preferably with some pace) and I'd say job well done Clarke.

It's strange that the transfer rumours that made the most noise in the media were the ones that never came to fruition..

[Nameless]

Also interesting that it's all been incoming.
Lost players at the end of last season outside our control but not moved anyone out since (excluding youngsters out on loan to gain experience)
I wonder whether we will now be concentrating on reducing numbers having brought in the players we want .

[GH Royal]

I think it'll provide more breathing room in order to send youngsters out on loan (Kuhl being the best example), whereas we couldn't afford to last season in case they were needed for emergency cover.

If we were able I think we'd move on a select few - HRK, Pog and Akpan being the main priority, but it's unlikely anyone will come in for them. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think HRK's and Pog's contracts are coming up at the end of the season? So we won't be stuck for too long if we are unable to shift them this window.

[Nameless]

Would be crazy to move Pog on IMHO. He's looked good preseason and would be tragic to push him out just as we may be getting a team together which he would be a good part of.
There's no real case to get rid of him, it's not going to save any money.

[GH Royal]

The pros and cons of Pog have been argued time and time again, don't get me wrong - I like him and think he's a good player, but his wages are a problem.

It's a simple case of does his end product justify being the highest paid player at the club? Easy answer - no.

Happy to have him around though, was simply stating if there was an opportunity to move him on I think the club would go for it.

[Ian Royal]

Caskey, Asaba, Murty, Forster, Convey, Lita, Seol, Fae, Halford, Bikey, Matejovsky, Mills, Mariappa, Gunter, Blackman, Williams, Sa...

And doesn't that just read as an endless list of unqualified successes.

Big money signings for us, yeah.

Big money signings by Premier League or even Championship standards, no.

Several of those were big money signings by the Championship standards of the time. In fact, I don't think any of them weren't, I think Sa is still one of the ten or so biggest signings of the summer.

but but but but McCormack went to Fulham for £11m... that must be the Championship going rate for the last 10 years.

[Ian Royal]

Would be crazy to move Pog on IMHO. He's looked good preseason and would be tragic to push him out just as we may be getting a team together which he would be a good part of.
There's no real case to get rid of him, it's not going to save any money.

If someone's willing to pay for him and he's willing to move it will (not that that'll happen) and there's no way we'll renew his contract at the end of the season unless he's prepared to take a big big pay cut. Even then I still wouldn't renew.

There's no point in releasing him, if that's what you mean. But if we were going to do that, we'd have done it over a year ago.

[Nameless]

But it wouldn't save money. We'd have to pay off his contract so we'd not have him on the team but we'd still be out of pocket. Players don't have to move and players who would suffer financially if they did are only going to agree to go if they are paid what they are owed. In Pog's case I suspect he's happy with his life style and in no hurry to move. And from what I have seen preseason he looks in good shape (until that Spaniard took him down) and up for the season.

[Royality creeps In]

Perhaps I have missed something here, but all you POG lovers

WTF does he actually do.

I have never seen a more useless, cumbersome lump play for Reading (I have been watching since 1971 by the way)

If its scoring a goal every now and then ................... GREAT .
As long as you lot are happy with that.

I read somewhere he runs around a lot.......................................................Missed that then